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#1
02-19-2010, 08:23 AM
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Bay area guitar odyssey (Schoenberg, Gryphon, Somogyi)
I recently returned from a 2 week trip to the San Francisco Bay area. I have in laws in Berkeley and have been spending a couple weeks vacation there the last few years to get away from the northeast winters for a bit. I enjoy Berkeley for it's weather, which is generally at least somewhat warmer than upstate NY, but most of all for it’s unending variety of anything and everything you could imagine.
One aspect of Berkley I always mention to people is that it seems that no matter what you're particular areas of interest, there is almost always at least one world class authority in that field who lives there. A favorite but by no means unusual example is the time 2 years ago that I stood in line behind former US Secretary of Labor Robert Reich at a popular student restaurant/hangout on Telegraph Ave. and overheard him talking about the upcoming mortgage and banking crisis...ya just don't get that everyday where I live..!! Anyway, this year I decided to make it a guitar themed trip to take advantage of the high concentration of acoustic guitar oriented shops and builders in the area. I knew I was on the right track when I arrived at the Oakland airport and there was a big display of guitars by prominent bay area luthiers including Ervin Somogyi, Kathy Wingert, Michi Matsuda, Howard Klepper, Alan Beardsell and others. Absolutely beautiful stuff..! In particular was a “beyond words” Ervin Somogyi guitar which I believe was pictured in his book "The Responsive Guitar". I assumed that unless I were to suddenly develop some highly refined “smash and grab” tendencies this was the closest I was ever going to get to one of his instruments. This did not turn out to be true..but read on..! Call me crazy but I elect to not rent a vehicle when I visit this car obsessed area so any destinations had to be reachable via public trans and/or on foot. Therefore, I decided to narrow my focus to 3 end points. They were in order, Eric Schoenberg's guitar shop across the SF bay in Tiburon, Gryphon Strings guitar shop in Palo Alto, and if I could somehow arrange it, a visit to Ervin Somogyi's shop in Oakland. I’ve decided to dedicate a post to each of these 3 trips. Each one was distinctive in their own way and had certain aspects that I’d like to organize my thoughts around. I hope some of you find this interesting…I know I sure did…! Part 1: Schoenberg Guitars in Tiburon http://om28.com I decided to take the ferry from San Francisco to Tiburon. Well actually I had no choice as there is no other way to get to Tiburon other than by car. However that being said, taking the ferry was a fantastic way to travel there. It took roughly an hour and a description of the trip is worthy of it’s own post but I’ll just say anyone thinking of visiting Schoenberg Guitars should seriously consider this means of transportation. The shop itself is surprisingly small. but it’s use of limited space for displaying many, many guitars is something to see. Pretty much every square inch has a guitar displayed somehow. It was a Sunday so Eric Schoenberg was not there but his assistant James couldn’t have been more accomodating and friendly. The highlights were: A Howard Klepper 00 – absolutely gorgeous sound, beautiful woods, and workmanship. A Merrill OM-18 – There were 2 at the shop a brand new amberburst and a used natural top. The new one was great, but the used one was incredible. James said it was the best deal in the entire shop, and that’s saying a lot.. Extremely lightweight, resonant, and full sounding. If I didn’t already have a Greven 000 coming I would have walked out with that one… A brand new Schoenberg Standard cutaway 12-Fret 000 out of European Spruce and pernambuco, made by Bruce Sexauer. This had literally just been delivered and smelled like a typical wood shop. But my oh my the sound…and it hasn’t even begun to open up yet…!! There were a couple of other Bruce Sexauer guitars there as well and they also stood out. But perhaps the most interesting moment came when I was querying James about the holy grail status of Brazilian rosewood. I was telling him that my experience with Brazilian rosewood guitars was that they sounded good but it was not something that in my opinion warranted outrageous premiums and a legendary status… He didn’t say anything right away, but went to the wall and pulled down a 1941 Martin 000-45. Your quintissential late Golden era Brazilian rosewood/Adirondack spruce blinged out Martin. He handed it to me and said give this a try… Well let’s just say I get it now… In a shop full of gorgeous instruments I finally understood why so many of these extremely gifted luthiers in one way or another aim for the tone and responsiveness of those legendary guitars ..! There were obviously many other high grade guitars there as well and if you go to their website and peruse their current inventory, I probably picked it up and played it. So many great sounding and looking guitars any of which would be fantastic instruments to own, but the opportunity to compare and contrast at that level was certainly a rare opportunity. I knew it was time to call it a day when I picked up an absolutely stunning 12k Marc Maingard double side dual bevelled cutaway Brazilian/German spruce guitar, and thought…meh…! My ears were clearly shot…!! Next Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto 
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#2
02-19-2010, 09:13 AM
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Wow, great review of Schoenberg and glad to hear you had a nice visit to the Bay Area. I live in the Bay Area (South Bay) but have never visited many of the North Bay shops. Sounds like Schoenberg is a must-see (which I have heard many times).
Looking forward to your review of Gryphon, where I have been many times. I have purchased several guitars there over the years as well as strings, books, videos, etc. Great shop and wonderful staff. Darryl
__________________
“Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself” — Miles Davis.
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#3
02-19-2010, 09:34 AM
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Iclyman, was that you I ran into at Schoenberg's?
I was the guy testing 12-fretters with my meager slack-key repertoire. I didn't want to play the guitar you offered to me because it was out of my price range.  
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#4
02-19-2010, 10:12 AM
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Quote:
Larry
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#5
02-19-2010, 10:20 AM
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Hi Iclyman:
Thank you so very much for giving us this "virtual" tour!!! So what was it about the Martin 000-45 tonally that made you an enlightened man. Could you offer some detail about what you heard that made you understand and believe???!!! Looking so very forward to your next installment! Very Best Regards duff
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#6
02-19-2010, 02:41 PM
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Nice post! Very enjoyable! I would I love to try out a 1941 000-45! What fun!
- Glenn
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#7
02-19-2010, 02:46 PM
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Quote:
Well where to start... I guess the best description of the sound as I remember it was, warm, full, present, and well balanced. The guitar was also pretty light and just seemed to resonate effortlessly with really nice projection. LC
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#8
02-20-2010, 08:24 AM
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Part 2: Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto
http://www.gryphonstrings.com/ The trip from Berkeley to Palo Alto was not nearly as interesting as the ferry to Tiburon, though I enjoy taking the BART into and through San Francisco. I had to transfer to the CalTrain at the end of the BART line in Millbrae, and the CalTrain could be any suburban commuter rail. Not much to look at either, unless spotting Oracle’s corporate headquarters out the window quickens your pulse. But I was on a guitar mission so the final 40 minute leg of this journey still passed enjoyably.. It was a pleasant 15 minute walk to the Gryphon store from the train station. Gryphon Stringed Instruments is contained in a nice sized rather non-descript looking standalone building across the street from a Mercedes dealership and down the block from a big extra secure Microsoft office building. This gives a good sense of the difference in vibe from Eric Schoenberg’s shop in Tiburon. It takes some serious coin to live in both locations, but you get the feeling the folks in Tiburon are a little happier to see you and share the bounty. Anyway, I enter the store and the next obvious difference becomes clear. Once again, lot’s of high end, beautiful instruments. But this time most of them are either hanging way high up beyond anyone’s easy reach or locked behind glass cases. There was also what appeared to be a very busy repair facility at the back of the store that was humming with activity. Let me say right here though that the staff at Gryphon were very friendly and helpful and there was no overt sales pressure whatsoever. I’m just commenting on the feel of the place in contrast to Eric Schoenberg’s shop. Anyway, I walked around all the displays and quickly noted which guitars I wanted to tryout. I was eventually approached by Paul Jacobs, a tall friendly front counter employee who asked me if I wanted to try out anything. I figured I wouldn’t waste time figuring out if it was going to be a chore to play some higher end guitars here so I pointed to a Roy McAlister beauty hanging in the furthest corner high up on a wall in the back. Paul didn’t bat an eyelash and took it right down and handed it to me. All righty then..I was off…!! Though I didn’t play as many guitars as in Tiburon there were still some real big highlights here. I have always wanted to try a Martin D-18 Authentic and they had a brand spanking new one there. Impressive lightweight mahogany/adi dread with a big fat neck on it that reminds me of the Louisville slugger necks I love on my telecasters. And real classic tone and volume for days. Great guitar…! Staying with Martin a bit longer, they also had a Steve Earle M-21. I’ve been on the hunt for a 0000 sized guitar for awhile and this one sounded surprisingly good from the first rather hard strum. I liked everything about it which is not surprising as I’m a big Steve Earle fan and wouldn’t imagine he’d let a guitar bear his name unless it rocked as hard as he does..!! Next I asked Paul if I could play the 2 Sergei de Jonge guitars that (full disclosure) were the real reason I wanted to come there. I’ve been curious about Sergei de Jonge’s guitars for awhile as I had been hearing about them on forums and from some players I knew. I like everything I’ve read about him and his family of luthiers so I was looking forward to finally playing a couple of his guitars…I was not disappointed…! The first de Jonge I played was a gorgeous cutaway version of his Standard Steel String. It was that holy grail Brazilian rosewood/Adirondack spruce combo and honestly, it had me at “hello”..!… It sounded magnificent and played like it had been setup specifically for me.. I found myself completely lost in playing it. Every note popped out big and clear and the neck and fingerboard just made me want to play everything I knew. Killer guitar with a price tag to match….I finally looked up and thought I should try the other de Jonge patiently sitting on the stand so graciously provided by Paul. This is going to be harder to do justice to because this guitar still haunts me.. This was what I believe Sergei calls his “Chelsea” model which is his smaller bodied 00 sized design. It had the most beautiful looking complement of woods I’ve ever seen. The cedar top, Madagascar rosewood back/sides, koa binding, and wood rosette combination was just so subtly beautiful that it was a few minutes before I was able to even start playing it. Then I began to play it… Game..set..match…! Effortless volume and projection, fat trebles, gorgeous clean mid range, ample beautifully balanced bottom end, neck to die for… an absolutely perfect marriage of classical guitar voicing with steel string guitar design…Every, and I mean every note sang out like it couldn’t wait to be heard. Chords had a perfect balance of note clarity and sustain and single notes naturally came slower and fewer as I wanted to hear each one for as long as possible..I’ve learned a couple of Bach pieces recently and playing them on this guitar struck me as a personally perfect match of music, player, and instrument… OK..that was a little over the top…but I think I made the point that this was a guitar that produced the sounds I’ve carried inside my head for years…This guy de Jonge is as far as I’m concerned, a total wizard.. The price tag also matched the neighborhood so I guess it’s time to think about adding another paper route… As I was completely carried away playing this guitar, when I finally came up for air and looked at the clock I realized I had a little less than a half hour to make it back to the train station for my return trip.. The return trip went quickly as I was still in a sonic reverie. I do have to mention one thing though. I must have seen the following a dozen times on this train..a man or woman gets on the train, sits down, immediately checks their cell phone, followed immediately by opening up their Blackberry to check for something else, and then pops on their iPod headphones…always in that order…!!! Ya gotta love it… Next a visit with Ervin Somogyi… Last edited by lclyman; 02-22-2010 at 03:12 PM.
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#9
02-20-2010, 08:38 AM
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Great thread.
I have to admit that I'm living vicariously through you as I love to travel (normally international, but Cali almost counts...) and I love guitars.
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Guitar-less 
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#10
02-20-2010, 08:44 AM
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Quote:
I hear ya...I've read and enjoyed a number of these types of posts over the years so I felt it was only fair to provide the same reportage... Glad you're enjoying this, and the last part, soon to follow, where I meet Ervin Somogyi and play one of his guitars, was the topper..! Thanks, Larry
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#11
02-20-2010, 09:42 AM
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Larry,
Very nice report on your visit to Gryphon. I would have liked to have been there with you. Sounds like you played some fantastic guitars.... I visited there once last June, bought a custom Collings as a result. But I wish I had played more guitars while I was there... But there is only so much time... Can't wait for the next installment! - Glenn
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#13
02-20-2010, 02:31 PM
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I'm really enjoying this thread due to my specific interest in the guitars that you've mentioned .....I'm afraid to read your last installment ....
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Scott '08 Maingard 000 (12 fret) BRW/Italian Spruce '08 Bashkin 00 (12 fret) LS Redwood/MadRose '01 De Jonge OM BRW/Sitka '08 CA Cargo '08 Eastman T-185 '09 Collings All Hog C10
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#14
02-22-2010, 07:46 AM
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Part 3: Ervin Somogyi and his shop in Oakland
http://www.esomogyi.com/ Some back story before the final installment… A little less than a year ago I decided I was going to order a custom guitar. I had a few builders vaguely in mind but I realized I needed to have more specific ideas about what I wanted and be able to articulate them to myself as well as any potential luthier. Right around this time there was an announcement on one of the guitar forums that renowned luthier Ervin Somogyi had just released a 2 volume treatise on understanding and building the acoustic guitar. I had watched a couple of his video lectures on YouTube and was very impressed by his approach and philosophy. I knew the reputation of his guitars, but of course had never played or even seen one up close…I decided that reading volume 1 of his brand new 2 volume set ‘The Responsive Guitar” would be the pre-requisite to any custom guitar commissioning. In trying to keep this post a manageable length let’s just say that reading that volume (figuratively speaking now) turned my head around like the famous scene with Linda Blair in "The Exorcist"…There were many things that resonated with me, ( pun intended ), but perhaps the most immediately impactful was the author’s explanation of the philosophical differences of intent between factory built guitars (large and small), and single builder luthier made guitars. In a nutshell it’s the contrast between concentration of effort and resources on efficiency of production and precise duplication of task versus the high level of craftsmanship and experience required to work with the unique sonic, structural and visual qualities of every piece of wood and the myriad possibilities of acoustical instrument design. ( oh well…that was a pretty big nutshell…maybe coconut sized…!). Anyhow…the way it boiled down to me was that after reading Ervin Somogy’s book it struck me that, thanks to that darned bell curve concept, the building of a hands down exceptional sounding and playing guitar from one of the big builders was inevitably a matter of chance. The smaller factory builders widen that curve’s sweet spot somewhat but at this point I couldn’t help thinking that for me, the acoustic guitar can no longer be like a game of horseshoes. Coming close is not good enough…! I also have to include a very slight detour in mentioning that I’ve been struck with the sense that in our culture we are losing touch with the tradition of the individual artisan and their refined craftsmanship in favor of bigger, better, faster, cheaper…Without getting all 1960’s on you, it’s clear to me that as someone who has played guitar for almost 40 years and made a so called living in some aspect of the music biz for almost half of that, the corporate idea of what’s good for us musos (or anyone else for that matter) is just not working anymore. I’m not going to be holding up a picket sign in front of Guitar Center or Walmart anytime soon, but I will be changing how and from whom I make my Chinese water torture like declining number of what those annoying dart throwing economists call “discretionary purchases”… Gotta start somewhere…! (Sorry lots of caffeine this AM…) So after reading the book, going to the related website, and noting that the author’s shop was in Oakland it became clear that my next trip to the Bay area would have to include an attempt to meet the author…and maybe see one of his guitars up close..or maybe just lots of pictures..whatever…this was not a completely thought out or entirely rational idea…but the best ones usually aren’t…! OK, I bent things a bit and got a little carried away….Somone’s really got to figure a way to police all this internet stuff…! So….I’m going to leave the next and (I promise) final part for one more post.. I’ll call it… Part 3a: How I almost received a phone call on my birthday from one of the world’s greatest luthiers…! Last edited by lclyman; 02-22-2010 at 08:33 AM.
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#15
02-22-2010, 12:52 PM
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I'm on the edge of my seat!!!!
LC
__________________
Still crazy after all these years.
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